At one time the Lord was staying near Sāvatthī
in the Jeta Grove in Anāthapiṇḍika's monastery.

Now at that time the householder Anāthapiṇḍika was a sick man,
in pain,
grievously ill.

And the householder Anāthapiṇḍika
summoned a certain man and said to him:

"Come you, my good man,
approach the Lord;
having approached,
in my name salute the Lord's feet with your head
and say to him:

'Revered sir, the householder Anāthapiṇḍika is a sick man,
in pain,
grievously ill;
he salutes the Lord's feet with his head.'

And then approach the venerable Sāriputta;
having approached,
in my name salute the venerable Sāriputta's feet with your head
and say to him:

'Revered sir, the householder Anāthapiṇḍika is a sick man,
in pain,
grievously ill;
he salutes the venerable Sāriputta's feet with his head.'

And then say:

'Indeed, it would be good, revered sir,
if the venerable Sāriputta,
out of compassion,
would approach the dwelling of the householder Anāthapiṇḍika.'"

When that man had answered the householder Anāthapiṇḍika in assent,
saying,
"Very well, reverend sir,"[1]
he approached the Lord;
having approached and greeted the Lord,
he sat down at a respectful distance.

As he was sitting down at a respectful distance
that man spoke thus to the Lord:

'Revered sir, the householder Anāthapiṇḍika is a sick man,
in pain,
grievously ill;
he salutes the Lord's feet with his head.'

And he then approached the venerable Sāriputta;
having approached
and greeted the venerable Sāriputta,
he sat down at a respectful distance.

As he was sitting down at a respectful distance
that man spoke thus to the venerable Sāriputta:

"Revered sir, the householder Anāthapiṇḍika is a sick man,
in pain,
grievously ill;
he salutes the venerable Sāriputta's feet with his head
and speaks to him thus:

'Indeed, it would be good, revered sir,
if the venerable Sāriputta,
out of compassion,
would approach the dwelling of the householder Anāthapiṇḍika.'"

The venerable Sāriputta consented by becoming silent.

Then [310] the venerable Sāriputta clothed himself and,
taking his bowl and robe,
approached the dwelling of the householder Anāthapiṇḍika
with the venerable Ānanda as his attendant;
having approached,
he sat down on the appointed seat.

As he was sitting down on the appointed seat
the venerable Sāriputta spoke thus to the householder Anāthapiṇḍika:

"I hope that you, householder,
are getting better,
I hope you are keeping going,
I hope the painful feelings are lessening,
not increasing,
that a lessening in them is apparent,
not an increase?"

"I am not getting better, revered Sāriputta,
I am not keeping going;
my painful feelings are increasing,
not lessening;
an increase in them is apparent,
not a lessening.

I am not better, revered Sāriputta,
I am not keeping going;
my grievously painful feelings are increasing,
not lessening;
an increase in them is apparent,
not a lessening.

As, revered Sāriputta, a strong man
might clamp a turban on one's head
with a tight leather strap,
even so, revered Sāriputta,
do I have very bad headaches.

I am not better, revered Sāriputta,
I am not keeping going;
my grievously painful feelings are increasing,
not lessening;
an increase in them is apparent,
not a lessening.

As, revered Sāriputta,
a skilled cattle-butcher
or his apprentice
might cut through the stomach
with a sharp butcher's knife,
even so, revered Sāriputta,
do very strong winds cut through my stomach.

I am not better, revered Sāriputta,
I am not keeping going;
my grievously painful feelings are increasing,
not lessening;
an increase in them is apparent,
not a lessening.

As, revered Sāriputta,
two strong men,
having taken hold of a weaker man by his limbs,
might set fire to him,
might make him sizzle up over a charcoal pit,
even so, revered Sāriputta,
there is a fierce heat in my body.

I am not better, revered Sāriputta,
I am not keeping going;
my grievously painful feelings are increasing,
not lessening;
an increase in them is apparent,
not a lessening.

'I will not grasp after that which is here seen,
heard,
sensed,
cognised,
sought after,
pondered over with the mind,
and so will have no consciousness dependent on that which is here seen,
heard,
sensed,
cognised,
sought after,
pondered over with the mind.'

This is how you must train yourself, householder."

When this had been said, the householder Anāthapiṇḍika
cried and shed tears.

Then the venerable Ānanda spoke thus
to the householder Anāthapiṇḍika:

Although the Teacher
and monks who were developing their minds[4] visited [313] me for a long time,
I have never yet heard reasoned talk such as this."

"Reasoned talk such as this, householder,
does not (usually) occur
for householders clad in white.[5]

It is for those
that have gone forth, householder,
that reasoned talk such as this
(usually) occurs."

"Well then, revered Sāriputta,
let there occur reasoned talk such as this
for householders clad in white.

There are, revered Sāriputta,
young men of family
with but little dust in their eyes
who, not hearing dhamma,
are declining,
but they could be learners of dhamma"[6]

And when the venerable Sāriputta
and the venerable Ānanda
had exhorted the householder Anāthapiṇḍika
with this exhortation,
they rose from their seats and departed.

Soon after the venerable Sāriputta
and the venerable Ānanda, had departed,
the householder Anāthapiṇḍika
at the breaking up of the body after dying
arose in the Tusita group (of devas).

And when the night was far spent
the young deva[7] Anāthapiṇḍika,
having illumined the whole of the Jeta Grove
with his radiant beauty,
approached the Lord;[8]
having approached and greeted the Lord,
he stood at a respectful distance.

As he was standing at a respectful distance,
the young deva Anāthapiṇḍika
addressed the Lord in verses:

"This[9] friendly Jeta Grove frequented by the Order of seers,[10]
Dwelt in by the King under dhamma, is the generator of my joy.[314] Deed,[11] knowledge,[12] and dhamma,[13] the highest moral life[14] -
By these are mortals purified,[15] not by clan nor wealth.
Accordingly the wise man, beholding his own goal,
Seeking dhamma[16] judiciously, is thus purified therein.[17]
As Sāriputta in wisdom, in morality and calm,[18]
So let whatever monk has gone beyond be excellent in these."

Thus spoke the young deva Anāthapiṇḍika.

The Lord was approving.

And the young deva Anāthapiṇḍika thought:

"The Lord approves of me,"
and having greeted the Lord,
then and there he vanished
keeping his right side towards him.

Then the Lord
towards the end of that night
addressed the monks,
saying:

"Monks, when this night was far spent
a certain young deva,
having illumined the whole of the Jeta Grove
with bis radiant beauty,
approached me;
having approached and greeted me,
he stood at a respectful distance.

As he was standing at a respectful distance,
this young deva addressed me in verses:

"This friendly Jeta Grove frequented by the Order of seers,
Dwelt in by the King under dhamma, is the generator of my joy.
Deed, knowledge, and dhamma, the highest moral life -
By these are mortals purified, not by clan nor wealth.
Accordingly the wise man, beholding his own goal,
Seeking dhamma judiciously, is thus purified therein.
As Sāriputta in wisdom, in morality and calm,
So let whatever monk has gone beyond be excellent in these."

Thus spoke that young deva, monks.

Thinking,
'The Lord approves of me,'
and having greeted me,
then and there he vanished
keeping his right side towards me."

When this had been said,
the venerable Ānanda, spoke thus to the Lord:

"Now, revered sir,
could that have been the young deva Anāthapiṇḍika?

Revered sir, the householder Anāthapiṇḍika
had unwavering confidence in the venerable Sāriputta."

[3] It seems necessary here to omit the na of Chalmers' text. For Anāthapiṇḍika was on the point of death and already failing or sinking. Otherwise one could translate, "I am not holding on (but) I am not sinking." Or as, "No, Ãnanda, I am holding on, I am not sinking." But this appears to be against the context and against grammatical usage, for the plain negative answer, our "No," is never expressed by the word na, not.

[4]manobhāvanīyo bhikkhū.Cf.manobhāvanīyo bhikkhu. at A. iii. 317, Vv. 34. 13; and the same expression, in the genitive plural, at A. v. 55, S. iii. 1, which SA. iii. 249-250 explains by mana-vaḍḍhanaka. It is possible that bhikkhū in the above M. passage should read bhikkhu, the reference then being to Sāriputta.

[5] This should not be taken to point to any esoteric element in the giving of the Teaching. Many passages could be adduced to show it was open to aü who wanted to hear it; see especially D. ii. 100 and S. iv. 314-316. But as MA. v. 80 says, talk on giving was (usually) addressed to householders. This is what they wanted to hear, so why should they receive a talk that did not please them? Paṭibhāti is a semi-technical term; it might be translated here as "vouchsafe": a talk such as this is not (usually) vouchsafed (by monks) for householders: because it is not appropriate, since their mental development is not as a rule sufficiently advanced for them to appreciate it.

[6] As at M. i. 168, Vin. i. 5, where these words form part of Brahmā Sahampati's plea to the Buddha to teach dhamma. Brahmā however says that there are beings, satta, with but little dust in their eyes, instead of "young men of family," kulaputtā; but it was of these that Anāthapiṇḍika was thinking.

[7] I think devaputta may sometimes be a young or new deva, one who has just become a deva.

[8]MA. v. 80 says he wanted to speak praise of "my Jeta Grove," the Order of monks, the Tathāgata, the ariyan Way, and Sāriputta.

[12]vijjā is extra-sensory knowledge of the Way, maggapaññā, or it is right understanding and purpose (or thought), MA. v. 81.

[13] The dhamma belonging to concentration, samādhi-pakkhikadhamma. It therefore seems as if dhamma here, as sometimes elsewhere, is being used instead of citta or samādhi to represent the middle one of the three branches of the training: sīla, samādhi (or, citta), paññā. Or it means, as recognised at MA. v. 81, (right) endeavour, mindfulness and concentration.

[14] "The life of one established in moral conduct is the highest," Or, sīla is (right) speech, action and mode of livelihood, MA. v. 81.

[15] "Selves are purified by this eightfold Way," according to MA. v. 81 which, in its exegesis on vijjā,dhamma and sīla, has presented the factors of the Way.

[16] Either the dhamma belonging to concentration, or the dhamma of the five khandha on which the teaching of the four truths of anguish centres.